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Post by bextull on May 26, 2015 19:39:52 GMT
OMG!!!!!!! I never realised that about these harnesses I've never used one on any of my own dogs so never realised they could rub or cause sore patches I just thought they worked by gently easing the dog into the correct position and once the dog realised the handler wasn't fighting against them they relaxed
In that case.....please IGNORE my post - it's complete and utter rubbish written by someone who hasn't used the product first hand on her own dogs Thanks for letting me know Bextull (((HUGS))) Just goes to show that the 'quick fix miracle cures' are usually NOT the right way to go You're certainly very welcome. I'm sure for some dogs harness like that work very well with no side effects. I've yet to meet one and Oscar certainly wouldn't be one of them either but I often think that we all get very caught up in "miracle" products that "fix" problems after 1 use rather than putting in the effort of training and finding an actual solution for the problem. Welcome to the forum ziggy I found that front leading harnesses worked to stop my two pulling, but you do need a good one. bextull What are your thoughts on the Halti harness? www.amazon.co.uk/HALTI-HARNESS-BLACK-RED-Medium/dp/B004W78GGC/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_topIt's got very good reviews and is recommended by Karen Wild to help train dogs not to pull. I will stress that I haven't used one of these on my dogs (we have a Perfect Fit harness and a Ruffwear Front Range harness), but I have advised my cousin to get one for her Shar Pei pup as he's a huge puller. The halti harness is the other harness I'd avoid. To begin with, the girth of this harness sits right up behind your dogs front legs, meaning that rubbing, like with the other harness, is a huge issue but it's also very uncomfortable in general. Especially because it's front leading, that basically pulls the strap right up behind your dogs leg. To make matters worse, the entire chest strap tightens which again, pulls the girth up behind your dogs legs, but also restricts your dogs shoulder movement. Long term use of a harness like this could result in inflammation and bursitis. If the dog is a huge puller I would strongly avoid this harness. The only 100% effective way to stop pulling that I have found with my own dog is to simply walk off leash all the time .
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Post by orpheous87 on May 26, 2015 20:17:22 GMT
Welcome to the forum ziggy I found that front leading harnesses worked to stop my two pulling, but you do need a good one. bextull What are your thoughts on the Halti harness? www.amazon.co.uk/HALTI-HARNESS-BLACK-RED-Medium/dp/B004W78GGC/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_topIt's got very good reviews and is recommended by Karen Wild to help train dogs not to pull. I will stress that I haven't used one of these on my dogs (we have a Perfect Fit harness and a Ruffwear Front Range harness), but I have advised my cousin to get one for her Shar Pei pup as he's a huge puller. The halti harness is the other harness I'd avoid. To begin with, the girth of this harness sits right up behind your dogs front legs, meaning that rubbing, like with the other harness, is a huge issue but it's also very uncomfortable in general. Especially because it's front leading, that basically pulls the strap right up behind your dogs leg. To make matters worse, the entire chest strap tightens which again, pulls the girth up behind your dogs legs, but also restricts your dogs shoulder movement. Long term use of a harness like this could result in inflammation and bursitis. If the dog is a huge puller I would strongly avoid this harness. The only 100% effective way to stop pulling that I have found with my own dog is to simply walk off leash all the time . Hmm. It seems odd that a professional dog trainer would recommend a harness that is likely to be uncomfortable for the dog We may have to look at other options. I don't think she's looking to use it long term, as he's going to be going to training classes, but just something to make it a bit easier to walk him and work on his pulling. Then she'll probably go back to the harness she's using now, which isn't a front leading one. I agree - walking off lead is definitely the most effective way I've found to stop pulling too! But it's not an option for my cousin at the moment as Sully isn't a year old yet and walks are still a massive adventure for him lol.
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Post by bextull on May 27, 2015 9:20:09 GMT
Hmm. It seems odd that a professional dog trainer would recommend a harness that is likely to be uncomfortable for the dog We may have to look at other options. I don't think she's looking to use it long term, as he's going to be going to training classes, but just something to make it a bit easier to walk him and work on his pulling. Then she'll probably go back to the harness she's using now, which isn't a front leading one. I agree - walking off lead is definitely the most effective way I've found to stop pulling too! But it's not an option for my cousin at the moment as Sully isn't a year old yet and walks are still a massive adventure for him lol. I think it's just a case that trainers simply don't know the damage that some harnesses can do. Many trainers consider it perfectly fine to train a dog not to pull while it's still wearing a collar. It's just a matter of ignorance rather than deliberately making a dog uncomfortable (in most cases anyway). I have no issues with front leading harnesses but I think the halti one is poorly designed - particularly for a young large dog with plenty of growing still to do.
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2015 11:04:10 GMT
What about harnesses for general walking (dog not pulling but walking calmly beside you with lead attached to harness as opposed to the collar) - are they ok or not really advisable? I remember when I first got Tina Whippet and was told not to attach the lead to her collar as it could damage her neck if she did the usual whippet trick of 0-45mph in a split second She had an Ancol harness which she wore in the car and occasionally went walking on.
I'll definitely be picking everyone's brains when I do get my pup/dog and get him/her a harness (if they're ok that is )
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Post by bextull on May 27, 2015 11:25:57 GMT
What about harnesses for general walking (dog not pulling but walking calmly beside you with lead attached to harness as opposed to the collar) - are they ok or not really advisable? I remember when I first got Tina Whippet and was told not to attach the lead to her collar as it could damage her neck if she did the usual whippet trick of 0-45mph in a split second She had an Ancol harness which she wore in the car and occasionally went walking on.
I'll definitely be picking everyone's brains when I do get my pup/dog and get him/her a harness (if they're ok that is ) Harnesses in general are great. As I said in my 1st post, I think that ALL dogs should be walked on a harness, regardless of whether they pull or "need" one. Oscar is always walked in his harness. Attaching a lead to a normal collar can be very harmful as even the most well behaved of dogs could suddenly bolt or start to pull when given a reason to. Here's an interesting article on the issue of collars, dogmantics.com/is-it-harmful-to-attach-a-leash-to-your-dogs-neck-2/Having said that though, it is very important to pick a harness that is designed so that it does not restrict the dogs movement and one that fits the dog correctly.
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Post by caz2golden on May 27, 2015 12:28:29 GMT
Hmm. It seems odd that a professional dog trainer would recommend a harness that is likely to be uncomfortable for the dog We may have to look at other options. I don't think she's looking to use it long term, as he's going to be going to training classes, but just something to make it a bit easier to walk him and work on his pulling. Then she'll probably go back to the harness she's using now, which isn't a front leading one. I agree - walking off lead is definitely the most effective way I've found to stop pulling too! But it's not an option for my cousin at the moment as Sully isn't a year old yet and walks are still a massive adventure for him lol. I think it's just a case that trainers simply don't know the damage that some harnesses can do. Many trainers consider it perfectly fine to train a dog not to pull while it's still wearing a collar. It's just a matter of ignorance rather than deliberately making a dog uncomfortable (in most cases anyway). I have no issues with front leading harnesses but I think the halti one is poorly designed - particularly for a young large dog with plenty of growing still to do. Is it ignorance or is it in some cases as they are following the guidelines of the 'testing body'? Perhaps its actually organizations such as the Kennel Club that need to change their guidelines? When I did the kennel club good citizens tests (few years back now!) they had to be done on collar and lead! Believe the guidelines (section 6) still dont allow harnesses and head collars in tests (well thats the way I read it!) www.thekennelclub.org.uk/media/197455/gcds_guidelines_online.pdf
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Post by orpheous87 on May 27, 2015 12:53:25 GMT
Hmm. It seems odd that a professional dog trainer would recommend a harness that is likely to be uncomfortable for the dog We may have to look at other options. I don't think she's looking to use it long term, as he's going to be going to training classes, but just something to make it a bit easier to walk him and work on his pulling. Then she'll probably go back to the harness she's using now, which isn't a front leading one. I agree - walking off lead is definitely the most effective way I've found to stop pulling too! But it's not an option for my cousin at the moment as Sully isn't a year old yet and walks are still a massive adventure for him lol. I think it's just a case that trainers simply don't know the damage that some harnesses can do. Many trainers consider it perfectly fine to train a dog not to pull while it's still wearing a collar. It's just a matter of ignorance rather than deliberately making a dog uncomfortable (in most cases anyway). I have no issues with front leading harnesses but I think the halti one is poorly designed - particularly for a young large dog with plenty of growing still to do. That's a fair point. Karen Wild generally recommends harnesses for the same reasons you've mentioned - the damage to the throat. I think, if I remember rightly, she did do a road test with the Halti harness and found it to be decent. But then again, that might have been a while ago and it might have changed slightly now I suppose. We shall persevere with finding something to work for Sully then! I think it's just a case that trainers simply don't know the damage that some harnesses can do. Many trainers consider it perfectly fine to train a dog not to pull while it's still wearing a collar. It's just a matter of ignorance rather than deliberately making a dog uncomfortable (in most cases anyway). I have no issues with front leading harnesses but I think the halti one is poorly designed - particularly for a young large dog with plenty of growing still to do. Is it ignorance or is it in some cases as they are following the guidelines of the 'testing body'? Perhaps its actually organizations such as the Kennel Club that need to change their guidelines? When I did the kennel club good citizens tests (few years back now!) they had to be done on collar and lead! Believe the guidelines (section 6) still dont allow harnesses and head collars in tests (well thats the way I read it!) www.thekennelclub.org.uk/media/197455/gcds_guidelines_online.pdfIt is in the guidelines, but when I did the bronze with Ellie the other year, she was allowed to keep her harness on. I think it might be to do with the discretion of the examiner as one of our usual trainers did say to me that we might not be able to use her harness but it would be up to the examiner.
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